Jeff McLane and Zach Berman

DeSean Jackson didn't exactly say it was "about time" the Eagles made the move to trade Donovan McNabb, but he did come close and he did emphasize how the last few months of rumors involving the Eagles quarterbacks had affected the rest of the team.

"My first thought was -- not to say, "About time" -- but just sitting around with just the rumors ... it was just kind of tough for the team," Jackson said. "Not knowing who was going to be here and who was going to stay. It's almost kind of a relief to know what we have here and just to go forward."

There was a perception out there that Jackson led the brigade of younger players looking to move on from McNabb and have Kolb as their leader.

"I don't know why anybody would think that," Jackson said. "Whatever the case was, if McNabb would have stayed another year ... that's not my decision."

The Eagles have had a lot of turnover this off-season, mostly discarding older players for younger ones. Guard Todd Herremans said that he thought the team now had a certain swagger about it. Jackson reiterated that sentiment.

"I see us as the young guns, coming in and taking advantage of a lot of geat opportunities in Philadelphia," Jackson said. "We're here for the long haul."

Jackson, Herremans, tight end Brent Celek and wide receiver Jeremy Maclin said that they didn't think the younger Eagles would have to naturally take a step back next season. Jackson said that the young core group of offensive players would be "able to relate to each other" more under Kolb.

Several of the players interviewed, including Kolb, said that they were surprised the Eagles traded McNabb to the Redskins.

"It definitely did catch me off guard," Jackson said.

Earlier, Michael Vick said that he would accept being Kolb's backup. He reiterated that he wants to start, but said that he would be a good soldier and help Kolb with his development.